I am so so excited to be sharing with you that I am starting a new challenge, the One Part Plant 21 Day Challenge.  I will be starting on February 21, 2017.  If you don’t know what One Part Plant is, well you just have to check it out.  One Part Plant was created by Jessica Murnane, who created a movement to encourage individuals to eat one plant-based meal a day.  You may know that I try and eat plant based as much as possible, so this movement is highly appealing to me.  I really like that there is no discrimination.  Jess encourages sharing meals with others, trying new things, but most importantly listening to your body.  If you don’t know what plant-based means, you are not alone 🙂 Instead of me trying to explain it, I am going to share this beautiful infographic which explains it so much better!

I discovered One Part Plant actually from her podcast One Part Podcast.  Jessica Murnane talks all things plant-based on the ‘pod’, but she also interviews people doing inspiring things outside of plants, from yogi’s to tampon creators, to beer connoisseurs. I have been obsessed with her podcasts and when she said she was coming out with a cookbook, it was a no-brainer.  The book gets released on February 21 and you can pre-order it now! (you might even win a prize!)

She gave a call out to those interested in helping with a launch party and I was lucky enough to be one of the successful applicants.  From there, I joined this AMAZING community of like-minded individuals who come from all walks of life, wanting to increase their consumption of plant-based foods.

I thought that during my challenge and leading up to it, I would do a shout out to some of these amazing women that are part of the launch party and share their stories of how they live a plant-based lifestyle.  You will see that the stories are different – which is so cool!

I want to introduce Mariela – our first shout-out of the OPP 21 Day Challenge!

Tell me a bit about yourself, Mariela?

I am a restaurant designer, food writer, and photographer. I launched Tasty Plan in 2011, and this year I wrote my first cookbook Coseena. Food has always played a pivotal role in my life, since I grew up with a bunch of food allergies. I started experimenting in the with ingredients from around the world in an effort to manage my strict dietary restrictions. I always use locally grown, seasonal vegetables as a canvas, and aim to share on unique and unabashedly cross-cultural recipes that make eating vegetables exciting.

The OPP movement is all about trying to eat one plant based meal a day. What do you do to try to achieve this? Are there areas that you struggle in?

While I am not a strict vegan, I have been a vegetarian for 12 years. Wellness is something I strive for and the main reason I started Tasty Plan in the first place.

What recipes have you tried from the OPP cookbook so far? Any you would highly recommend?

The first recipe that I’ve tried is the baklava-ish toast (page 53).  I did a review of the recipe on my blog – you can find it here.  I spiced things up by putting purple micro radish greens. I also drizzled some black tahini and honey, then sprinkled some flaky sea salt. The recipe tastes great without, but if you have these ingredients at hand they indeed make it super scrumptious.

What are some ways that you promote eating plant-based (even little bits) to your family, coworkers and friends?

Lead by example without telling people what to eat is my mantra! I love showing people that vegetables and salads are a great alternative to meat through social media, Tasty Plan, and now Coseena. (Coseena is all about putting vegetable at the center of your plate without intimidating meat eaters away.) Whenever I invite friends over for dinner, they are always shocked at how tasty plant focused meals can actually be.

Thank you Mariela for sharing your tips on all things one part plant!

If you want to learn more about Mariela, make sure to check out her super amazing websites; Tasty Plan and her beautiful e-cookbook Coseena (well it’s more than that – it’s a whole guide!).

You guys are lucky, because you can get 15% off her products on the Coseena website! Just use the code OPP at checkout!

And then you can check her out on instagram @tastyplan and @coseena (with the hashtags: #tastyplan #coseena #vegetablesthatdelight #mycoseena).

I will connect with you in the coming days to give you more details on the challenge.  Stay tuned for the official start date of February 21st.  I will be sharing a free e-guide and reviews each day of the recipes I share.  I cannot wait!